If you’re an MMA fan who doesn’t know who Alfie R. Davis is, there’s a very good chance you will do soon.

The UCMMA lightweight champion is considered one of the hottest prospects in UK MMA and he’s already got a highlight reel that most retired knockout merchants would be envious of.

His last fight took place on the Bellator 179 fight card in London last May where he defeated Jay Dods with an incredible spinning back kick. Speaking exclusively to MMAUNO.com earlier today, Davis gave us an update on what he’s been doing since and his training at London Shootfighters.

(Credit: Fight Photography – Also For Banner Photo)“I was straight back in the gym and I’ve been waiting to fight,” Davis said. “I’ve now got my next one lined up and it’s in September on Phoenix Fighting. I’ve just been teaching, training and just on the grind. I train at London Shoot[fighters] and we’ve got a great stable of guys here. Michael [Page], Jim [Wallhead], Galore Bofando, there’s just loads of good fighters I get to work with there.

“I’ve got to pay a massive respect to the trainers there because they tailor all of our training to the individual. I think that’s not often the case in a lot of gyms. I think everyone gets shown the same techniques and loads of camps are doing the same sort of stuff so no one gets their own flair. Alexis [Demetriades] and Paul [Ivens] have always been amazing doing that so that’s why I think we all have these styles that are all unique to us. Paul Bosley, my kick boxing instructor, he’s also played a big part in me creating my own sort of style. I owe a lot to my teammates and coaches. ”

Next Stop Phoenix

Davis’ next fight will be on September 22 under the Phoenix Fighting Championship (PFC) promotional banner. The Londoner will take on Youssef Wehbe (6-3) from Lebanon who is currently riding a three fight win streak. Davis is confident he’s going to get the job done, but like any true professional, he’s wary of what his opponent will bring to table.

“I call him ‘Useless’ Wehbe,” Davis said laughing. “No seriously, I do respect him because he’s fought some tough guys. In his last fight he fought a bit of a legend, Jorge Patino, who’s fought in Pride and the UFC. It was a no contest in the end, but it just shows he’s not afraid to step up and fight the best. He’s not done too bad either. He’s just a scrappy guy. I wouldn’t call him a class fighter, but he can cause people problems.

“I think it’s a pretty straight forward fight for me, but at the same time I’m not taking him lightly. He’s a Thai boxer who’s very slow paced. He’s a Lebanese guy fighting on a Lebanese promotion, that’s the reason why I think he’s been brought in.”

Keeping Options Open

Despite being one of the UK’s hottest talents, Davis is still yet to sign a long term deal to any promotion. When asked why he signed to fight for PFC, Davis explained that it wasn’t down to a lack of options, but more the point that he liked to take things one fight at a time and not tie himself down.

“I signed for Phoenix mainly because of the money,” Davis said. “We had a few offers on the table and yeah, I’m a prize fighter. It’s nothing more complicated than what was being offered on the table. I leave all that stuff to my coach and I can trust he’s going to do what’s best for me. He says he’s talked to all the top promotions and he thinks I’ll get a call up within one to three fights.

“We just want to keep building my experience. I want to go to the big show on a tear. It’s hard to become a marketable product if you don’t have the necessary know how and you win some and lose some. I just want to go in there and know that I’m going in there ready for the title. I consider myself in my apprentice stage right now, but I don’t think it’s going to be long before I make that step up. It’s probably going to be one or two more fights so let’s see how the next six months go.”

Kicking Heads And Taking Names

A lot of the attention that Davis has garnered so far in his career has come about because of his highlight reel KO finishes. His spinning back kick KO of Dods in May was inexcusably not captured by the Bellator cameras, but his axe kick KO of Nick Baker in UCMMA went viral on the internet and drew attention from the likes of UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

Having such a back catalogue of KOs would have some fighters feeling the pressure to keep going bigger and better, but Davis says he understands that it’s all about the moment and highlight reel finishes aren’t always going to be there.

“I’m happy with the knockouts I’ve got so far and I’m not feeling any pressure to follow them up with more because that’s just my style,” Davis said. “In training I land a lot of different stuff, but as you probably know I’m mainly just a kicker. Everyone loves a kick to finish and that’s one of my main tools. We joke about it in the gym sometimes, some people would say ‘I’d throw a jab here,’ but I’m always like ‘No, I’d throw a kick.’ It’s just my instincts and my go to technique. I’m lucky in the respect that if I do land my techniques, nine times out of ten it’s going to look good. At the same time, I do understand knockouts aren’t always there and I think if you hunt for it that can mess you up a bit. I just go in there and flow.”

“This guy is getting knocked out though, I see so many openings. I’ve already seen what I’m going to land and I know it will do for him. He’s not technically sound. It will be a head kick KO again. I’ll just put that out there for everyone to have a think about.”

Praise From Rogan, Davies And Page

With praise coming in from all angles, Davis could be forgiven for having a slightly inflated ego. Despite the likes of Rogan, Gareth A. Davies and Michael Page all singing his praises, Davis says he’s keeping his feet firmly on the ground and that he’s not taking anything for granted.

“I’m very grateful for all the praise I’m given,” Davis said. “That said, I think it’s been a while coming. I’ve been in combat now for like 14 years. Even in my kickboxing career it was always said that I’m going to be the next great kickboxer. I’ve had a few years already where I’ve felt that it’s my time to make the mainstream and do big stuff. The vision has always been there, but yet I’m very grateful for all the mentions and people respecting my work.

“As far as Joe Rogan is concerned, I reached out to him about it because a few times he kept saying ‘Have you guys seen that axe kick knockout?’ He kept mentioning it, but all the people sharing it never put my name on it. We even had one kid turn up to kid boxing class talking about it and he didn’t even realize it was me. So anyway, I DM’d Joe on Instagram and asked him if he could give me a shout out. He did it in the end so that was really nice of him.”